This surprising Thai flick begins about 10 years before its main time-line where we see how a gang of insecure men kidnap kids and abuse them, using them as beggars and who-knows-what-else. After 3 brothers try to escape, they are brought back to the gang's leader and are brutally attacked leaving one brain damaged, one deaf, and one blinded after the gang boss stabs him in the eyes with a skewer. A fourth boy, Pong, who was kidnapped the night before, witnesses the abuse and screams for help resulting in the cutting of his tongue, leaving him mute!
The opening of Bangkok Assassins is quite a dark introduction lightened only by the arrival of an old kung-fu master his adopted granddaughter, who saves the boys by using some old-school, mystical kung-fu - much like any amount of Hong Kong films, and the South Korean hit, Arahan.
As we jump 10 years forward, the kids have now grown up into handsome teens (especially the gorgeous Tomo Visava Thaiyanont), and now masters of kung-fu themselves, are set on finding their abusers as they go about their daily lives. The young girl, now played by Kaew Jarinya Sirimongkolsakul, is quite hilarious at times as she constantly tries to get selected for the local X-Factor show, failing miserably.
Another few years pass, and Pong has left, trying to move on with his life and find love, the blind brother gives driving a go (with the help of the deaf bother), and sister is still trying to get into the X-Factor. The brother Naa, now the very handsome Mario Maurer, has stayed with the master at his temple learning kung-fu and more. Clearly the master has made many enemies in his life, as a gang of older foreigners turn up to assassinate him, but with no joy...
It turns out, the master was part of the Jantra Alliance. A group of kung-fu masters in Thailand who have possession of some mystical Dragons Tear stone, put in Naa to save him. The monky-faced ninjas, led by an unknown westerner, have been sent out to retrieve the stone, leading to the death of their master who has his own kung-fu powers unlike anything the brothers have ever seen before!
When I first watched Bangkok Assassins I was left somewhat underwhelmed, but upon revisiting it, can actually see what a well written, and well made movie it actually is. Sure, the guys aren't genuine fighters, but they do their best and look good doing it. They each gain a certain power which aids them in their battles, but its not over-used and the CGI is passable when it comes about. While it starts with a serious message, and has many dramatic moments throughout, the film also cheers its viewers up with some genuinely funny Chow Sing Chi style comedy moments, though without detracting from anything meaningful...
Its clear that write and director Yuthlert Sippapak is a huge fan of Hong Kong cinema and especially that of its golden years. He combines some nice action (albeit not enough for a film marketed in the action genre), inspired by his peers with that wonderful 'mo liei ta' comedy blended in just right. The film is shot wonderfully, nicely paced and one of the better films I've seen from Thailand in some time that doesn't involve Tony Jaa or some Jaa rip-off trying to be the next Ong Bak. While the ending isn't a glorious, martial arts packed finale as one had hoped, it still ties things up nicely and ends with a nice twist, and emotional close.
Overall: While hardly original, Bangkok Assassins is still a great film, well made and an entertaining modern take on the old-school kung-fu film!
The opening of Bangkok Assassins is quite a dark introduction lightened only by the arrival of an old kung-fu master his adopted granddaughter, who saves the boys by using some old-school, mystical kung-fu - much like any amount of Hong Kong films, and the South Korean hit, Arahan.
As we jump 10 years forward, the kids have now grown up into handsome teens (especially the gorgeous Tomo Visava Thaiyanont), and now masters of kung-fu themselves, are set on finding their abusers as they go about their daily lives. The young girl, now played by Kaew Jarinya Sirimongkolsakul, is quite hilarious at times as she constantly tries to get selected for the local X-Factor show, failing miserably.
Another few years pass, and Pong has left, trying to move on with his life and find love, the blind brother gives driving a go (with the help of the deaf bother), and sister is still trying to get into the X-Factor. The brother Naa, now the very handsome Mario Maurer, has stayed with the master at his temple learning kung-fu and more. Clearly the master has made many enemies in his life, as a gang of older foreigners turn up to assassinate him, but with no joy...
It turns out, the master was part of the Jantra Alliance. A group of kung-fu masters in Thailand who have possession of some mystical Dragons Tear stone, put in Naa to save him. The monky-faced ninjas, led by an unknown westerner, have been sent out to retrieve the stone, leading to the death of their master who has his own kung-fu powers unlike anything the brothers have ever seen before!
When I first watched Bangkok Assassins I was left somewhat underwhelmed, but upon revisiting it, can actually see what a well written, and well made movie it actually is. Sure, the guys aren't genuine fighters, but they do their best and look good doing it. They each gain a certain power which aids them in their battles, but its not over-used and the CGI is passable when it comes about. While it starts with a serious message, and has many dramatic moments throughout, the film also cheers its viewers up with some genuinely funny Chow Sing Chi style comedy moments, though without detracting from anything meaningful...
Its clear that write and director Yuthlert Sippapak is a huge fan of Hong Kong cinema and especially that of its golden years. He combines some nice action (albeit not enough for a film marketed in the action genre), inspired by his peers with that wonderful 'mo liei ta' comedy blended in just right. The film is shot wonderfully, nicely paced and one of the better films I've seen from Thailand in some time that doesn't involve Tony Jaa or some Jaa rip-off trying to be the next Ong Bak. While the ending isn't a glorious, martial arts packed finale as one had hoped, it still ties things up nicely and ends with a nice twist, and emotional close.
Overall: While hardly original, Bangkok Assassins is still a great film, well made and an entertaining modern take on the old-school kung-fu film!
